Four Great Tragedies - William Shakespeare

The greatest tragic plays of William Shakespeare-including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.

What is tragedy? The Elizabethans defined it as a "lofty" play showing "personages of great state" caught up in a "lamentable" action that "beginneth prosperously and endeth unfortunately." Whether judged by this or any other standard, the plays selected for this collection are considered to be the four central works of Shakespearean tragedy and must be included in any list of the world's finest tragic literature. And to make these plays more accessible for the modern reader, this edition includes the following special features:

Reliable texts by noted Shakespeare scholars

Texts printed in the clearest, most readable type

Names of each speaker given in full

Detailed footnotes at the bottom of each page keyed to the numbered lines of the text

Textual notes

Updated bibliography